David Miller criticizes semi-final scheduling, backs New Zealand ahead of Champions Trophy 2025 Final

After New Zealand secured a glorious triumph against South Africa to make their place in the Champions Trophy 2025 final, Kane Williamson and David Miller met each other after the game. Notably, Williamson had just completed his conference show, while Miller was yet address the journalists.

The two shared a warm smile and a friendly hug, one leaving in victory, the other holding the misery of yet another missed opportunity. That friendship extended beyond as Miller later admitted he would be backing New Zealand in the final. Notably, the Kiwis will now face India in the grand final of the Champions Trophy, which is scheduled to take place on Sunday, March 9, in Dubai.

New Zealand and South Africa have always shared a mutual respect, but Miller’s sentiment likely came up from their similar attempt and battles in the tournament. Both teams narrowed demanding travel schedules, bouncing to and fro between Pakistan and the UAE. New Zealand played India in their final group-stage game in Dubai, on Saturday before returning to Lahore in the early hours of Monday for their semi-final. Meanwhile, South Africa, on Sunday flew to Dubai from Karachi, hoping for a semi-final there, only to return to Lahore within the time frame of 12 hours. 

"I'll be honest with you. I think I'll be supporting New Zealand. It's only an hour-and-40-minute flight, but we had to do that after a game. We landed at 4 p.m., then had to fly back at 7:30 the next morning. It wasn’t ideal. It’s not like we had five hours to recover," Miller said as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.

I'd rather have played badly and won: Miller

Regardless of his resentment, Miller admitted that New Zealand were the better side on the day. He scored an unbeaten 100* off 67 balls, celebrating his son’s birth, but expressed that he would have traded it for a South African win. New Zealand exploited favourable conditions after winning the toss and went on to set a huge target of 363 runs. Interestingly enough, when asked about the probable winner of the final, the South African shied away from making a prediction.

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"I'd rather have played badly and won. It's not easy chasing 360. They got more purchase out of the wicket than we did. They're both incredible teams. India have been outstanding for years. It’s going to be a great game," Miller concluded.